Santiago Oaks Trail

Santiago Oaks Trail is a 2 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Orange, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.

I will definitely return to this one since it is not too far from where I live and there are so many trails I didn't do on Sunday. There are many interlinking trails and we did the shorter trails that were closer to the creek since there were people in our group who don't do much hiking and wanted to take it easy on them. We did about 4 miles and there wasn't much incline. I will do some of the harder, longer trails next time.

Parking- we paid $5 since it was Sunday (weekdays are $3); there was a friendly worker at the gate who provides us with a map;
Trails- wide multi-use trails that are great for sharing with mountain bikes (there were many) and there was lots of clues on the trail that horses use these trails too but we didn't see anyone on horseback; i preferred the trails closer to the entrance where the round, concrete steps to cross the creek are.

I went with two friends and we loved how we felt so far away from everything and everyone. It was absolutely peaceful and beautiful. We saw three deers playing and running around.The hills made the walk more of a hike which I enjoyed!

I love Santiago oaks park and come here often. It was fairly crowded today, but there are so many different trails I was still able to "get away from it all". As always keep an eye out for downhill mountain bikers. I know I have right of way over the bikers, but I always move over for them particularly if they are coming downhill. Santiago Creek is running well right now which adds to the beauty of this hike. I also love that dogs are allowed in this park. My three dachshunds love it here. This is a true hidden gem in urban Orange County.

A multitude of variety. There are so many different trails you can explore, keeping it feeling fresh and new each time you go. Running Mountain Goat trail was challenging and fun with a huge payoff at the top with a view of the OC basin and the ocean. Both sides of the Canyon offer views and some challenging uphill sections. Also a wide variety of terrain and difficulty to choose from.

First time at Santiago Oaks Regional Park. Went up Peralta trail and came down Grasshopper trail. Not sure how many miles, but seemed about 2 maybe 3 total. Peralta trail is pretty steep and so is Grasshopper trail ..definitely a good workout and beautiful scenery! When you arrive parking is $5 on weekends $3 on weekdays and you can ask for park map of all the trails when you pay for parking. There are so many different routes/trails to take and it can get confusing. Overall It was a great first time experience and will definitely go back!

Julie H.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Good diversity in terrain and difficulty. The trails are maintained very well and nice restrooms.

Great trail for running, especially with my dog. We run for about 5 miles twice a week and have only taken the exact same set of trails a few times in the year that we have been running. Very nice people, but steer clear from the trail on weekends after 9am if you're adverse to crowds as this is a popular trail.

This trail is better suited for an overcast day or winter months. Not a lot of shade. A good number of short trails with a few steep inclines.

Just a word of advice for the newbies...most of us like the quiet of hiking in the outdoors. If you feel the need to have "Dance Party USA" while you're hiking how about get some headphones! The rest of us don't want to heat your annoying music.

Did this trail about 2 months ago.... it had a variety of trails for different level of hikers. It was my first hike i did in awhile and was out of breath, however, if i went back there this weekend, i'm sure i can do it no problem. short trail with little coverage/ shade (at least the trail i was on) but it was a good work out. would go there again but would hike a different trail, something ore challenging.

Great variety of trails! We have been to two entrances at Santiago Oaks: Windes and Anaheim Hills Elementary. If you start at Windes, you pay $3/$5 parking week/weekend, but enjoy the nature center, bathroom amenities, and picnic areas-- also note, after paying the parking fee a park employee will give you a guide/map to the area with trail levels (easy, moderate, hard) and length of each. If you begin at the elementary school it's simply a trail head, but free parking on weekends when nothing is going on at the school (no overnight parking). We haven't gone during the week day, so not sure if you can still park there during the evening.
This is a fantastic trail for mountain biking and trail running! You will enjoy some very sharp inclines depending on which trails you take. Be aware there is very little shade, so I recommend an early start, especially in summer. We started at 8:50AM and it quickly got hot under the sun, even though the temperature was only around 70 degrees. Bring water and sunscreen!